You can register your bike and every E-Bike too, create a bike passport or have it added to the police database. But why should you do that? It’s simple: lots and lots of bikes get stolen. Expensive bikes, cheap bikes, old and new – it doesn’t matter. Especially in big cities, but also in rural areas. More in northern Germany than in the south. If you register your bike, it can allegedly make life harder for bike thieves. But what does it mean to “register” a bike, and what does registration do for you?
Why are bikes stolen in the first place?
What a shock! The expensive bike is gone! Unfortunately, that happens every day to many cyclists! If bikes weren’t stolen, we could skip this post. But unfortunately, more than 300,000 bikes (+ hidden figures!) in Germany change owners involuntarily every year. There are three reasons that tempt thieves to get hold of someone else’s bike:
Case 1: They need to get from A to B and would rather do it on some bike than on foot.
Case 2: They want to ride the bike themselves.
Case 3: They want to sell the bike – this is the most common reason why especially high-quality bikes are stolen.
Will you get your bike back if it’s registered?
Bike registration helps mainly in Case 3 . If a bike’s frame number is registered with the police, it can be established without problems that it was yours if it turns up again in second-hand marketplaces or is sold on elsewhere. You can also get lucky in Case 1 . These bikes are often simply left somewhere. Registration helps here too, because when the bike is picked up, you’ll be notified and you can prove that it belongs to you. Case 2 is unfortunately really hard to track down right now in a big city if the thief is a bit careful. But authorities can still contact you if they take the bike into custody.
What does it do for you to register a bike?
Unfortunately, the clearance rate for bike theft isn’t great, but if your bike is registered, it serves several purposes at once:
- If there’s a note about the registration on your bike, it can deter thieves in advance, because they know they can only resell the bike at high risk.
- The police can clearly assign a recovered bike to you as the owner.
- You can prove that the bike is in your legal possession .
A good bike lock is only half the job! In addition, you should create a bike passport and register your bike with the police! Image © Kryptonite
How do you register a bike?
Registering your bike is straightforward. You simply make it known at an official location that a specific bike or E-Bike belongs to you.
First, you create a bike passport , and using that bike passport you can then have the bike added to a register with the police and other providers.
A bike coding works a bit differently. Here, the bike gets an individual number. Since there are many important pieces of information for this, you’ll find a detailed article in our Bike Blog about bike coding.
Where can you register a bike or E-Bike?
There are different places where you can register your bike or e-bike.
- Bike registration via bike passport
- Bike registration in the database of various providers
- Bike registration with the police
- Bike registration with the manufacturer
Bike registration via bike passport
There are different providers through which you can create a bike passport, fahrradpass.info is one of them. You can create and manage the bike passport entirely online or fill out a paper version .
A bike passport records features that make it possible to identify a bike or E-Bike unambiguously and assign it to the owner. Brand, model, frame type and of course the frame number or coding number are noted here. With online versions and in bike passport apps, you can also add photos of the bike.
The apps offer the option to download and print the bike passport if you want to archive it as a paper version with your documents.
Depending on the provider, not only is the bike passport created; at the same time your bike can be registered in the provider’s database. Often there are additional functions here; for example you can search by frame number to trace a bike’s history and changes of ownership in used-bike listings.
Occasionally, there’s also a sticker included with the registration. It then says “Stealing isn’t worth it; the bike is registered!” or something similar. It doesn’t always fit the bike’s design, and it doesn’t replace the bike lock, but it can deter a less hardened thief.
How to register your bike with the police
You can register your bike or an E-Bike online or via an app with the police. Some offices also offer this service on site, but you should find out in advance when and where the police register bikes. It’s especially easy to register your bike with the police if you’ve already created a bike passport that already contains all the data.
You need the following documents to register your bike with the police:
- the bike passport
- proof of ownership (e.g. the proof of purchase)
- your ID
- If your bike is already coded, you also need the coding number
The bike is then added to the database and can be assigned to you as the owner quickly and easily if it’s secured by the police.
Register a new bike or E-Bike with the manufacturer
You can also register a newly purchased bike with the manufacturer (often referred to as “registration”; international manufacturers offer a “Bike Registration” in English).
If you order a new bike, it’s definitely worth visiting the manufacturer’s homepage and registering the bike there using the frame number. The service you can then use depends on the manufacturer’s terms and conditions. Some manufacturers offer extended warranty on parts or frames if the bike is registered with them. Others provide you with bike data (model, paintwork, equipment). You can retrieve it if the bike is stolen.
Have your bike registered – FAQs
What do you need to register your bike?
The most important “evidence” when registering a bike is the frame number. Most branded bikes today have a serial number stamped in. You should also keep the proof of purchase . You have to provide your personal details , i.e. name, address and so on.
For safety, you should also store meaningful photos of the bike. If you register the bike online or via an app, you can simply upload the images; otherwise you can file them.
Can I sell a registered bike again?
Your bike is registered, and now you want to sell it? In that case, you can use a sales contract to prevent the new owner from getting into trouble. There are template contracts you can download and fill in online. With such a sales contract, the buyer can also have the bike registered again or recoded.
Can I register a bike that doesn’t have a frame number?
If your bike doesn’t have a frame number, you should definitely have it coded. With the individual coding , it can be assigned unambiguously, and then it can also be registered.
How much does it cost to have a bike registered?
Unlike coding, registering a bike or e-bike is usually free of charge.
Does a bike or E-Bike have to be registered for insurance?
There are different ways to insure a good bike. You can take out bike insurance, or the bike and E-Bike are covered under your home contents insurance. In this case, a bike passport is very useful if you want to have a stolen bike replaced, but it’s usually not strictly required. However, you must be able to prove that the bike belongs to you and what it cost. That’s why you should keep the proof of purchase well. You should read the insurer’s terms and conditions here.
What else can you do besides registration to protect your bike from thieves?
Bike lock, GPS tracker or bike alarm, there are many different ways to protect your bike from thieves. It’s worth checking back in the Bike Blog again and again, because we’re working on more posts on this topic.
❗Additional security for bike registration ❗
Bike locks | GPS trackers & mounts
Also in the Bike Blog:
Lock your bike properly | Guide 2026: The best bike locks
Cover image © Kryptonite
